BMW M models from 1971-2019

In this report, I will analyze a data set containing all BMW cars from the M series along with their parameters. These are serially produced cars adapted for racing, rallying, driving on race tracks and at the same time can be driven on public roads. Cars marked with the letter “M” are characterized by powerful engines, advanced chassis, special brakes and aerodynamics, and increased power and performance compared to standard BMW models.

History

The first widely regarded as BMW M in history was the E09 3.0 CSL model. The first specimen was produced in 1971. It was a sports variant of the 3.0 CS model and is known as the “Batmobile” because of its aerodynamic shape and distinctive wings Figure 1. A total of about 1400 units of this model were built, of which about 100 were intended for racing. BMW E09 3.0 CSL won several championship titles in DTM rallies and participated in long-distance races such as 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Spa and 1000 km Nürburgring. Production of the model ended in 1975.

The car had a 3.0-liter aluminum R6 engine with about 200 horsepower. This engine was mated to a 4-speed manual transmission. The car weighed about 1,250 kg which gave it a good power-to-weight ratio Table 1. The BMW E09 3.0 CSL was designed to compete in rallying and track racing. It had a sport suspension, braking system and an aerodynamic body that increased grip and performance. The car was also equipped with ABS and a leather steering wheel.

Table 1: Dane techniczne BMW E09 CSL
Engine	3.0 L R6
Max horse power	200 hp at 6,000 rpm
Torque	210 Nm at 4,500 rpm
Drive	RWD
Transmission	4-speed manual or 5-speed manual
Max speed	220 km/h
0-100 km/h	7.6 s
Weight	1050 kg

Na szczęście na tym modelu BMW nie poprzestało i kontynuowało produkcje “podkręconych” wersji swoich flagowych modeli. Poniżej znajduje się wykres który przestawia ilość wyprodukowanych samochodów przy zakończeniu produkcji.

Figure 2: BMW production graph over the years

Immediately striking are the four tops that are much higher than the others - this means that the most popular models ended production in these years, let’s see what these cars are.

Start of production	End of Production	Produced (pcs.)	Model	Generation	Body	Engine capacity (L)	Cylinder arrangement	Number of cylinders	Power (hp)
2000	2006	54750	M3	E46	Coupe	3.2	R	6	343
1992	1999	46881	M3	E36	Coupe	3.2	R	6	321
2007	2013	39954	M3	E92	Coupe	4.0	V	8	420
2014	2018	33414	M3	F80	Sedan	3.0	R	6	431

4th place: BMW M3 F80 Sedan (33414 pcs.)

3rd place: BMW M3 E92 Coupe (39954 pcs.)

2nd place: BMW M3 E36 Coupe (46881 pcs.)

1st place: BMW M3 E45 Coupe (54750 pcs.)

Here we come to an interesting conclusion, namely, the best-selling cars are those whose base model is the BMW 3 Series, in addition, all cars occupying the podium have a coupe body.

Performance

Let’s see how the variables in our dataset are correlated with each other:

The first fairly obvious conclusion that comes to mind is that as engine capacity increases, Number of cylinders increases. Another thing that can be noticed is that over the years BMW engines become more efficient, as horsepower relative to the year of manufacture increases much faster than engine capacity or number of cylinders.

The capacity, number and arrangement of cylinders are also interestingly correlated, take a look at the next plot.

Figure 3: Dependence of power on engine capacity

Figure 4: Relationship of the number of cylinders to engine capacity

In both figures you can see the distinct groups that the Cylinder arrangement forms, this represents the principle that engineers who design engines follow, that is - 4- and 6-cylinder engines do not exceed a capacity of 3.8 L and are arranged in a row (R), while larger units are already constructed with 8 cylinders and more and also their arrangement changes into that resembling the letter V.

Now let’s take a look at what engines the different body versions offered. We can see that the sedan and coupe versions dominate the list in terms of the number of available power units, the most we can see in the two-door version at the same time in these cars there is also the greatest diversity when it comes to displacement.

Figure 5: Engine capacities in each body version

At the ends of the post representing the coupe versions we can see the 6 and 2 liter versions which are not found under the hoods of the other bodies, what are these cars?

One of them is the aforementioned BMW E09 CSL seen on Figure 1 while the only 6-liter engine is embedded under the hood of the BMW M8 E31, which was produced in only one copy as a prototype, the car was meant to be a response to similar models from Porsche and Ferrari, a demonstration of BMW’s technological and production capabilities when it comes to building a sports car.

Figure 6: BMW M8 E31

However, does the fact that a car has the largest engine mean that it is therefore the most powerful? The correlation between power and capacity is quite large, but at the same time it is even more influenced by the period in which the model was produced ?@fig-correlations, and the BMW M8 E31 was produced in 1990. So let’s see the ranking of all cars in terms of power.

Figure 7: Ranking of the most powerful models

Here we see the realization of the correlation of the beginning of production with power - the longer and redder the bar, the greater the power. But on the neck of the juxtaposition one model stands out - the BMW M8 E31 prototype from 1990.

But such a juxtaposition may be unfair, because as time goes by, technology develops and people are able to produce more and more powerful and efficient engines, in which case it is worth looking at how the juxtaposition of the best models in each decade looked like.

’70
Start of production	Model	Generation	Power (hp)
1978	M1	E26	277
1971	CSL	E09	200
1974	2002 Turbo	E20	170

’80
Start of production	Model	Generation	Power (hp)
1988	M5	E34	340
1984	M 635 CSi	E24	290
1985	M5	E28	290

’90
Start of production	Model	Generation	Power (hp)
1990	M8	E31	558
1998	M5	E39	400
1996	M Coupe	E36/8	325

’00
Start of production	Model	Generation	Power (hp)
2009	X5 M	E70	555
2009	X6 M	E71	555
2005	M5	E60	507

’10
Start of production	Model	Generation	Power (hp)
2013	X5 M	F85	575
2014	X6 M	F86	575
2011	M5	F10	560